


Angel in the Dark

by Shadow_Warriour



Category: Naruto
Genre: Death, Drama, F/M, Family, Gen, Love, M/M, Namikaze, Original Character(s), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 11:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19208563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Warriour/pseuds/Shadow_Warriour
Summary: A ghost of the past enters Konoha. Naruto is found to have a new guardian. And Kakashi doesn't know how to act when he realizes exactly who the person is. [Original Character]





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note: this story is a rewrite of the VERY first fanfic I wrote over ten years ago (which I never finished). It was so cringy when I went back to read it that my whole body practically ached to rewrite it lol. 
> 
> Please keep in mind that I don't plan on revealing things until the appropriate time so it may be a slow start and slow progression but I want to keep the pace realistic. Especially with an OC character. 
> 
> Soooo with that... I hope you like it! And please leave a review! Your input is always appreciated!

Clouds shadowed the jagged terrain, Itachi sensing the downpour soon to embrace them. He sat atop a boulder, observing the river running down the valley below and the water flowing through all the cracks and rough patches until it became a dark glaze in the distance.

“You’ve decided,” he said, gaze shifting from the river to his partner, who stood beside him.

She nodded, face impassive, as if there was a certain duty ruling over her person that kept her moving in a definitive course—something he understood very well. His own set of duties had fixed his path in life... but their aftermath left him anchored to a weight of guilt.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer,” she said, though it had been a great blessing, and one Itachi believed he didn’t deserve, to have been partnered with an ally upon joining the Akatsuki. She had without effort become close to him only a few months into his arrival. But he knew her reasons for leaving.

“Please... watch over him,” he requested. Over _Sasuke_. His only blood left in this world… the only blood he didn’t spill—and the only one who could punish him for his actions.

He felt her hand on his head. “He’ll be safe.”

And those words were enough to console him but the glint in her eye reminded him of her request to one day tell Sasuke the truth. She had said it was only fair the younger Uchiha led his life knowing what motivated his own brother’s actions, but he believed it was for the best that Sasuke only pictured _him_ as the villain... not their whole family.

He watched her jump off the rocks of the cliffside, voicing a soft ‘thank you’ as she found her way down the river and faded from view. No other formalities, no goodbyes, no redundant exchanges were thrown in this last meeting because not far in the future, they would meet again and he would once more confront all his choices.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year post-Uchiha massacre.

Kakashi slid off his anbu gear, neatly placing the metal arm guards and gray flak jacket inside his locker and quietly setting his anbu mask on top.

It had been an uneventful set of months after the last major catastrophe reverberated through the walls of Konoha—the massacre, single handedly executed by one of their very own, Itachi Uchiha. This crisis which left an impact on every shinobi who assisted in disposing the bodies left an even bigger dent in Kakashi’s psyche.

Where did he go wrong this time? Kakashi had circled through every conversation and every encounter he had while Itachi served in his squad, one particular exchange haunting him every night.

_“You said that a friend gave your Sharingan to you… along with a wish.”_

Kakashi’s hand instinctively reached for his left eye. He could feel his heart rate rising, the memory of that friend crushed beneath a boulder hitting him as if he’d just witnessed it moments ago.

_“Do you need to honor that wish?”_

That’s what Itachi asked. And Kakashi said yes. And now hundreds were dead and gone. Just like Obito. Just like Rin.

Kakashi thought about it every single day, the thought process behind Itachi causing bloodshed of this magnitude. But he couldn’t begin to understand it, and it all just looped back to those same few words he’d said to Itachi. It didn’t help that there wasn’t much to do these days. To everyone else’s relief, no other calamity disturbed Konoha since the massacre, and the months had passed peacefully, but for Kakashi, that meant time slowed down and he had too much time to remember.

Inhaling deeply, he closed his locker and rested his forehead against the cool metal, slowly exhaling and letting his mind clear of all thoughts.

“Sempai!” his teammate called, the silence in the locker room instantly dying, and, fortunately, also ending the tortuous thoughts beating inside Kakashi’s head better than his own attempts.

“Sempai, are you okay?” Tenzou asked, rushing to his side and taking off the porcelain mask to reveal the worried look on his face.

Kakashi pushed off the locker, lifting his head. “I’m fine, just a little tired from the training.”

He heard the chatter of his squad members and others nearing the locker room, likely returning from the drills they practiced together. That was all there was for anbu to do these days with the shortage of assignments: training and more training. And that’s exactly how Kakashi spent all his hours busying himself, one workout after another until he trudged all the way home and collapsed onto his bed.

“Are you sure?” Tenzou asked again. “Is there anything—”

Kakashi patted his shoulder and shook his head.

“I’m heading home, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, just as the door to the locker room flung open and the herd of anbu barged in, the chatter swamping the small space.

Kakashi moved towards the exit, not wanting to immerse himself in their usual gossip, which seemed to be far more energetic and excessive today. He caught a few words about some woman before they all paused to address him, their superior, a series of “captain”’s and nods repeated in progression on his way out.

He couldn’t say he wasn’t happy that things had calmed down and all his fellow colleagues given rest after what seemed to be an endless sequence of tragedies, but he, himself, couldn’t get his mind to relax in the same way as others. It wasn’t safe to get too laid back, it would only make things harder to cope when the next misfortune struck.

He walked out of the special division unit, finding himself in the plaza district of Konoha a couple of minutes later, the Kage mountain towering far behind him and the hustle and bustle of the late summer evening keeping his mind distracted. His ears naturally picked up both public and private discussions amongst the civilians he crossed on his course, their casual talk and trivial banter, usually oblivious to the harsh realities of the shinobi world, seeming to mimic the bits of gossip he overheard in the locker room today.

_“Did you see her?”_

_“Woman… with the demon child.”_

_“That woman…”_

It was the same thing over and over and Kakashi didn’t usually care for gossip but this poked at his curiosity. He’d been lingering at one location too long, however, and didn’t realize he stood in clear view of a certain eatery shinobi liked to frequent, particularly shinobi he was very familiar with… like the one running out towards him right now.

“Kakashi!” the man called, garnering the attention of some in the vicinity while Kakashi pretended like he didn’t see. Obviously that never worked with Gai.

“My eternal rival!” Gai hailed, grabbing him by the shoulder as soon as he got to him. “Come join us!”

Kakashi sighed, the energy radiating from his “rival” effectively draining him.

“Maybe tomorro—”

“Nonsense!” Gai boomed. “There’s no time like the present! Now come—” he latched onto Kakashi’s arm, practically dragging him, “Kurenai and Asuma are waiting inside.”

Kakashi tried coming up with an excuse but by that time Kurenai and Asuma were both standing by the shop entrance, welcoming him inside.

“Long time no see, Kakashi,” Asuma said, thumping his back, while Kurenai gave him a smile.

“It’s nice to have you finally join us,” she said.

He nodded, acknowledging their comments, but their carefree expressions turned a little more serious as they guided him to their corner booth.

“Kakashi…” Kurenai began, glancing at Asuma and Gai before looking at him. Kakashi immediately felt trapped, noting how they purposely seated him in between them. He considered flickering away but he felt Gai’s hand on his arm right as the thought popped up.

“Kakashi,” he said. “Listen for a few minutes.”

He turned to Gai who gave him a resolute nod and he let out an audible sigh, realizing they probably tried getting hold of him for a while… and got lucky today.

Asuma signaled the waiter to bring a few drinks and they all eased up for a moment, save Kakashi who just wanted to go home and avoid any conversations regarding his life.

“We thought we’d ask you…” Kurenai tried again, her kind nature seeking to break through his cold exterior. “If you’d be interested in doing something different for a while?”

Kakashi blinked. “Different?”

“As in…” she said, hesitant, like her words might cause Kakashi to vanish from their presence—not that she’d be wrong, he _was_ on the verge of excusing himself.

“As in,” she continued, “Maybe work as a jounin instructor like us.”

Kakashi wasn’t expecting to hear that. A jounin instructor? _Him?_ He seriously doubted he would do any good in a role like that. All the mistakes in his life only reminded him what a terrible influence he was.

“I think I’m better suited where I am,” he said, causing the three of them to exchange looks, yet again.

“Kakashi,” Gai spoke, far more sober than his typical flamboyant personality. “I once had the chance to see you fight against an enemy and while I couldn’t end their lives, you easily could.”

Kakashi fixated on the table, almost flinching at the memory. He recalled how his team came in to replace Gai’s and assassinate the foe—nothing new for Kakashi—but it was one of the first times Itachi fought alongside him as a fresh anbu recruit, readily eliminating the targets.

“But that kind of environment—“

“Is my job,” Kakashi firmly concluded. They wouldn’t understand, this was his work and it was what he was good at. Ending lives wasn’t painful because his hands had grown numb from the blood stains he struggled to wash off for so many years. Their concern wouldn't change that.

“Alright,” Asuma said, his cigarette stiff between his mouth. “Let’s change the topic.”

Gai’s brows furrowed while Kurenai let out a defeated sigh and Kakashi just felt out of place. He decided to focus his attention elsewhere, like the bar and the few shinobi lounging about there, drinks in hand. He caught a few words, his eyes narrowing when it registered that it was the same gossip—for the third time.

“You know about that?” Asuma said, breaking the silence. Apparently Kakashi wasn’t the only one eavesdropping.

“About what?” Kurenai asked.

Asuma gestured towards the chit chat at the bar to their right. “The woman with the Uzumaki kid.”

“Woman?” Gai said while Kakashi’s focus flickered back to Asuma. Why was this woman all the talk today? And what did she have to do with Naruto?

“ _Oh,”_ Kurenai said. “Yes, I heard about that just today.”

So this was fairly new information, Kakashi gathered.

“Who is this woman?” Gai asked again.

“I don’t know exactly,” Asuma confessed, putting out his cigarette. “But I saw her when I went to see my old man right before coming here.”

“What does she have to do with Naruto?” Kakashi finally voiced the question on his mind, but Asuma only shrugged in response.

“My guess is that pops has her taking care of the kid.”

Kakashi didn’t believe that was the case. If a guardian was placed in charge of Naruto, the anbu would be informed for security purposes… but no one really even knew who she was, which meant the Hokage must have dealt with it on his own to keep it from becoming a bigger issue. However, that still wasn’t reason enough for this many people to be talking about her.

“What does she look like?” Kurenai inquired, and Kakashi noted a faint pink on the man’s cheeks… which was odd.

“Uhh,” Asuma scratched at his beard, “She had black hair, and blue eyes.”

Black hair and blue eyes? Kakashi felt something tug in his mind at that description. It sounded so familiar. A woman with dark hair and blue eyes and she was supposedly Naruto’s caretaker… Kakashi’s heart pounded.

_It couldn’t be._

“Something did feel strange about her,” Asuma continued.

“What do you mean?” Kakashi said, the urgency escaping into his voice. His fingers dug into his palms underneath the table, the whole of his body denying the possibility of what his intellect came up with.

“It was like—“

Asuma’s speech was cut short, an anbu suddenly appearing at their tableside.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the masked shinobi directed at Kakashi, “But the Hokage requests your presence.”

Kakashi nodded and the others just assumed this as ordinary as he flickered out of view, leaving the three to themselves.

 

— • — • —

 

The thought persisted in Kakashi’s mind all the way to the Hokage’s office. He had asked Tenzou, the one who brought him the Hokage’s message, if he knew anything about the woman people around town kept whispering about. Of course, he said he had heard, but he didn’t know much about it either.

_Then who knew?_

His feet picked up the pace, his hands swiftly forming the usual motions and he zapped from his current location to the Hokage’s office. “Hokage-Sama—”

He found himself frozen, his eyes widening at the face that turned to greet him.

Dark hair. Blue eyes. And an expression that so closely resembled—

“Ah, Kakashi,” Lord Third called to him from behind his desk. “This is Kurai. You may not remember her but she’s—”

_Minato sensei’s sister._

“—Minato’s younger sister.”

It wasn’t possible. This had to be someone else. She had died long ago. He remembered his sensei going on a mission to find her after discovering she had died. She was barely eight at the time and that was _twelve years ago._

“Hokage-sama, I—” his eyes jumped back and forth between the two, so confused at the events unfolding in front of him.

“I’ll take my leave now,” Kurai spoke, startling Kakashi. Her mannerisms were almost identical to her brother, soft and gentle… but she had an edge. She bowed and exited the room, the click of the door reminding him to breath again.

“Kakashi,” Lord Third addressed him, the casual demeanor he held a moment ago having transitioned to something grim. “Sit down, I have a task for you.”

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Short chapter lol. But they'll get longer soon!   
> Let me know your thoughts!! <3


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